Non-profit social services organisation Tamworth Family Support Services (TFSS) told the Leader its youth homelessness program has seen an explosion in demand.

"Our program has supported 305 clients in the last nine months. Referrals in the same period of 2022-23 were 141, so they have more than doubled," TFSS youth homelessness case worker Jasmine Foreman said.

Ms Foreman said one of the leading causes of youth homelessness was family and domestic violence.

Recent figures from the Bureau of Crime Statics and Research (BOCSAR) indicate domestic violence related assaults have jumped 22.3 per cent in the New England North West in the five years to June 2023.

"There are a lot of barriers and challenges young people face, and what we're seeing is those young people being forced to become independent and responsible far earlier," Ms Foreman said.

An analysis by Melbourne-based youth homelessness charity Lighthouse Foundation recently found nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of all Australians experiencing homelessness are aged 12 to 24 years.

It also found children under 18 were the cohort with the largest increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in 2021 compared to 2016.

The charity's CEO, Dr Eamonn McCarthy, made an impassioned call to action on Youth Homelessness Matters Day, Wednesday, April 17.

"Mental health issues among children and young people are on the rise. Family violence has increased, and the higher cost of living, paired with the housing crisis, is pushing more children, young people, and families to the brink of homelessness," Dr McCarthy said.

"Tragically, we're also seeing that the children requiring help are getting younger. Some of the challenges we may historically have seen for kids who are 15, 16, 17 are now being seen in children as young as seven, eight, and nine."

Locally, the TFSS youth homelessness program assists young people from 16 to 24, though the organisation does provide informational resources for younger kids at risk of homelessness.

Ms Foreman has been a homelessness case worker with TFSS for years, though she moved into their youth program only 12 months ago.

She said the biggest difference she's seen is the lack of access young people have to support.

"They face more barriers because of their age. Even if they obtain a rental property there's only one electricity provider that lets people sign up under the age of 18," Ms Foreman said.

"There's lots of barriers like that. Young people don't have as many options as what people over the age of 18 have."

When asked about solutions, Ms Foreman brought up the Youth Foyer Federation, an initiative which started in the UK in the '90s and has been slowly gaining steam in Australia since the 2010s.

Youth Foyers provide people aged 16 to 24 at risk of experiencing homelessness with low-cost accommodation for up to two years.

"A youth allowance income doesn't support the cost of living, especially when it comes to obtaining and maintaining rental properties in our region," Ms Foreman said.

But it's not just a living space, foyers also require residents to undertake some form of education, employment, or training.

"It helps young people avoid homelessness and improve their mental health by providing independent units in a larger complex, so each person has their own space alongside easy access to support services," Ms Foreman said.

There are currently 15 youth foyers or foyer-like services across Australia supporting about 500 young people.

The TFSS case worker said the best thing the state or federal government could do to reduce the rate of youth homelessness in our region was to fund a Tamworth youth foyer.

"There's enough barriers and challenges young people have to face these days without experiencing homelessness. We need to support them," she said.

Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.